He divorced his wife with three pronouncements before consummating the marriage; how can she become lawful for him?

If a wife is divorced with three pronouncements before consummation:

- If it was with a single utterance (e.g., "You are thrice divorced"): Scholars have differed. The majority holds that three divorces occur, resulting in an irrevocable major separation (baynunah kubra). Some scholars (like Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah) believe that only one divorce occurs, resulting in a revocable minor separation (baynunah sughra).

- If it was with separate utterances (e.g., "You are divorced," "You are divorced," "You are divorced"): The majority of jurists hold that only one divorce occurs, resulting in a revocable minor separation, because a non-consummated wife becomes irrevocably separated with a single divorce and owes no 'iddah (waiting period). Thus, the subsequent pronouncements do not apply to a wife.

The preponderant opinion is that only one divorce occurs in all cases of triple pronouncement.